


Shocked

by DramaticCrys



Series: Final Space Oneshots [7]
Category: Final Space (Cartoon)
Genre: Comfort, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-06
Updated: 2020-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:48:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23038873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DramaticCrys/pseuds/DramaticCrys
Summary: Gary gets a severe reaction after his mechanical arm is shocked.
Relationships: Avocato & Gary Goodspeed, Avocato & Little Cato (Final Space), Avocato/Gary Goodspeed, Gary Goodspeed & Little Cato
Series: Final Space Oneshots [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1623109
Comments: 10
Kudos: 133





	Shocked

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry I haven't posted in so long! I ran out of ideas to write lol. Don't worry though, I'm still writing!

"I'm surprised you know how to do this." Little Cato leaned closer to watch Gary work. He was messing with a few wires in a small compartment. They were towards the back of the ship in a wide hallway. The hum of the ship was slightly louder in the back and the hallway was completely empty besides Gary and Little Cato.

"What's that supposed to mean? I am a very knowledgeable and well liked Captain!" They were both kneeled on the ground working on repairs, well, Gary was. Little Cato was watching. Little Cato could handle the repairs easily, but Gary had longer arms and could reach into the compartment farther than he could. Little Cato didn't want to crawl in the vent full of wires to reach the ones they needed, thankfully Gary spent 5 years of only having repairs as a past time. Gary was used to these kinda things.

"It's like I was made to be the Captain. Great piloting, great leadership, and great repair skills." Gary gestured to himself proudly and moved to lie on the ground, so he could reach farther in. His head lowered to the ground so he could properly see what he was doing and he stuck his arms back into the vent.

Little Cato rolled his eyes with a small smile on his face. "Sure Gary." The orange Ventrexian moved to sit fully on the ground, his tail flicked behind him as he watched. He ducked his head and quietly stared at what Gary was doing. He's surprisingly focused when repairing parts of the ship. His tongue stuck out the corner of his mouth as he reached as far back as he could. He tried to stick the live wires back where they came from as little "tinks" started hitting the ship.

Little Cato flinched at the loud alarm blaring and he quickly grabbed ahold of a pipe attached to the wall next to them. "Gary move!" 

The ship tilted upwards sharply and Gary was swung into the wall, his mechanical arm tugging on the wires. 

A sharp jolt of pain travelled down his arm and spread through his body. Gary shouted and tried to let go, but his mechanical arm wouldn't give. Shock travelled through his body and it felt as though all his muscles tensed at the same time. 

His arm finally gave and he fell, smashing into the sealed door that was now below them. He could hear Little Cato calling out to him, but his head was ringing. The ship leveled out again and he slid down to the floor. 

"Gary!" Little Cato steadied himself and quickly moved to Gary's side. The panic was apparent from the look in his eyes. Gary was face down on the cold floor, his arm twitched and jolted with every breath he took. His mechanical fingers flexed out at weird angles and Little Cato gasped.

Gary groaned and whimpered at the increasing pain that moved through his left arm. 

"Don't worry! I'll go get my dad!" Little Cato moved to stand and Gary shouted. 

"No! Don't, just!" Gary groaned and moved his right arm to his side, trying to push himself up. "Don't say anything. To anyone." Gary was finally able to get himself to all fours, he cradled his robot arm to his chest. 

"Gary, you're hurt! Let me-" 

Gary shook his head. "Listen Little Cato, I had pain similar to this when I first got the arm."

Little Cato paused and frowned. His eyes darted over Gary with a raised eyebrow, slightly skeptical. "Really?" 

Gary nodded and sat back on his heels. He rubbed his working hand over his face. "Yeah, nothing helps with the pain. It just eventually goes away. And I don't want to worry anyone, okay? So don't tell anyone," he pointed at Little Cato. "Especially your father." 

Little Cato moved closer to Gary and rested his head against him. "Fine, but if it gets worse I'm telling Dad." 

Gary smiled. "Thanks bud." Gary bit his lip and looked away, "Actually, can you do me a favor?" 

Little Cato stared up at Gary and smiled slightly. "Anything."

"Keep everyone away from me for about an hour. I'm going to rest for a bit. And it helps if I have a bit of quiet."

Little Cato quickly stood and saluted him. "You got it Thunder Bandit!" He scampered off, seemingly excited with his new task. He felt like a body guard. 

Gary sighed and leaned forward. "That goes for you too AVA."

"You should really get checked-"

"I'm fine, AVA. Trust me, okay? Nothing helps but rest and staying off of it. Only notify the others if I get worse."

"Of course, Gary."

Another onslaught of pain shot through his arm and to his chest. He gasped and clenched his jaw tightly, waiting for the pain to pass. He cradled his arm close to his chest.

He let out the breath he was holding when the pain finally went away. God, this was going to be a long day.

~

The pain did not get better with silence. 

Gary was currently hiding from everyone, and the best place for that was the medbay. He stumbled into the dark room and kept the lights off as he limped his way to a bed, tucked away in the corner. He slowly set himself on the bed and curled into a ball, groaning as he did.

Gary had experienced this type of pain when he first had the arm installed. When the electrical wiring in the arm was getting used to and feeling out his nerves, it was painful. But that's all it was. The machine trying to work with the electrical impulses in his body. It would last a few minutes and then stop only to come back again. 

When he first got the arm installed it was fine, no issues, nothing. But when night came, so did the pain. It seemed all his adrenaline had died out by then and all he was left with was pain and tears. 

Avocato had been the one to help him through everything. He took notice the next morning when Gary hadn't come out of his room. Gary was too weak and exhausted to do anything so Avocato did it all. Mr. General Grumpy Pants Avocato had literally spoon fed the blonde without asking questions.

It made the pain a little more bearable knowing someone was caring for you, knowing you didn't have to worry about anything. 

But he can handle this alone, he's handled it before, what's a second time? The pain would go away for good after a few hours, a day at most.

He's fine.

He's going to be fine.

He groaned and clutched his head, it was aching after he slammed into the door, but he didn't notice until the pain from his arm dulled. 

He willed himself to just sleep. Just sleep and it'll be over with. He took a few deep breaths and closed his eyes. Unfortunately sleep never came and he had to wait patiently for the next set of pain that sparked from his arm. 

~

Gary spent almost the whole day in the medbay. Thankfully, Little Cato kept true to his task and made sure no one bothered him. Including KVN, he'd have to ask Little Cato had he managed it later. 

Gary laid in the dark on the bed furthest from the door. He glanced around the room with lidded eyes. He noted how peaceful it was. He guessed it was because he couldn't hear anything besides the slight hum of the ship. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It felt like he lied there for hours before actually getting tired.

Finally, he was able to sleep for a few hours and thankfully the pain seemed to die down. 

When he awoke, he took his time getting up. Gary lied on the bed for a few minutes before pushing himself up. He sat on the edge of the bed for a moment and groaned. God, he does not want to be awake right now. Even if the pain died down slightly, he can feel that it's going to come back with a vengeance and he's not looking forward to that. 

He stood and shuffled his way down the hall and into the kitchen. He hadn't eaten all day and now that the pain is gone for a moment, he's starving. And he figured he may as well replenish some energy before the next bout of pain hits.

He opened the fridge and reached in.

"Gary!" 

Gary jumped at the sound and turned around. Avocato was leaning against the door frame that led into the kitchen. 

"Where have you been? Haven't seen you all day." 

Gary shrugged and turned his attention back to the fridge. "Around, I was just catching up on some sleep." 

Avocato smiled and walked forward. "You? Actually sleeping?" He stood to the side of Gary and placed a delicate hand on his shoulder. "You look like shit." 

Gary jolted at the touch and tried not to cry out. "Thanks bud."

Avocato narrowed his eyes, he decided not to comment on the slight flinch Gary gave. "You know what I meant. Are you sure everything's fine?" 

"As fine as it can get when being viciously hunted by a Titan that destroys everything." Gary patted Avocato's hand and slipped away. He started towards the door and peaked over his shoulder at the Ventrexian. Avocato stood with his arms crossed eyeing him. Gary gave him his best smile. "Don't worry about me, okay? I'll be fine."

Avocato sighed. "You always are." 

Gary waved and finally left the room. Crap. He was so flustered by Avocato he forgot to grab something to eat. Well, there's not going back now. He stumbled towards the medbay and clutched the wall of the hallway as he walked back. The fatigue was really hitting him. 

And now so is the pain. 

He grunted and he almost collapsed. Thankfully, he caught himself before falling. 

He gasped out at the tiny needles that attacked his shoulder, the part that was attached to the mechanical arm. It felt as though it was ripping itself off and he couldn't help but cry out. 

"Gary, I think it's time we informed-"

"No! AVA, I'm fine. I promise. Please, just don't say anything." Gary pushed himself off the wall and made his way into the medbay. He collapsed on the bed and took deep breaths. He's heavily panting and he isn't sure if it's because of walking while fatigued or the pain. Maybe both. 

He closed his eyes and thankfully it was a lot easier to sleep this time. 

~

"Hey Little Cato, have you seen Gary? I wanted to ask him something." Avocato walked into the lounge, Little Cato was seated at a small booth with a worried expression that disappeared as soon as he entered. Little Cato turned to face his dad and avoided his gaze. 

It's been a couple of hours since Avocato last saw the taller man, if Little Cato was in a better mood, he'd make fun of his dad for having "withdrawals".

"I think he's in the kitchen." Little Cato pointed towards the kitchen and Avocato smiled. 

"Thanks." Avocato patted Little Cato's head as he moved passed him and towards the kitchen. Avocato's question wasn't necessarily important, he just wanted to know if Gary wanted to play a round of cards is all. Everyone's been busy, himself included, but this was one of the rare moments that there was peace to their little world.

Sue him for wanting to spend it with his….

Avocato paused. His what? Are they dating? Neither of them technically asked the other out. 

Well now he had two questions to ask Gary.

He walked into the kitchen and saw it was completely dark with no sign of Gary. He sighed and bit the inside of his cheek. 

Where the hell is he? He wasn't in his room, on the bridge, or the bathroom. It was weird to not hear from him for so long. Usually you could hear Gary from anywhere on the ship, he's just that loud. Avocato turned around and walked back to the last place he saw Little Cato. 

"Hey, he wasnt-" Little Cato was now sitting on the table but quickly jumped to his feet when his dad entered once again. 

"Hey Dad! Why don't we play cards? Just the two of us?" Little Cato smiled innocently and Avocato stared, slightly stunned. 

"Really? Are you sure you aren't busy?" Avocato was trying to hide his smile, but Little Cato could see how his eyes sparkled. 

He hasn't had a lot of free time lately, and if he does, he doesn't usually spend the time with Avocato by himself. Someone's always with them. Mainly because the ship is crowded and there's a very limited amount of things to do, but still. His dad seem excited about being able to spend some one-on-one time with him.

"I just got done with some repairs, so I wanted to relax for a bit." It wasn't technically a lie. Little Cato bounced on his heels and clasped his hands together in front of him, to keep himself from fidgeting.

"Sure, well uh, that sounds fun son." Avocato smirked. "But try not to get upset when I beat you." 

Little Cato smiled and narrowed his eyes. "Oh, you're so on!"

~

Gary was laying on his side, arm clutched closely to his chest as he bit down on his pillow to hide his cries. The pain moved through his arm, to his chest, and now to his head. The pain was occurring more often and lasting longer. Everytime a jolt of pain hit his shoulder, his chest clenched and he could feel the jolt there as well. The pounding in his head got louder and louder until he couldn't think of anything but the pain.

He looked down at his arm and noticed the flicker of electricity shooting from the sides. He was hoping he would pass out from the pain, but the intensity of it all just brought him back to consiousness. 

Was it this bad last time? He looked around the darkened room, he was thankful he didn't turn on the lights. Otherwise he probably wouldn't be able to see from the blinding light reflecting on the white of the room.

His breathing picked up; he was out of breath like he just ran a marathon. His muscles all tensed and the pain hit again. It felt like his shoulder was being ripped from it's socket. 

He didn't know how long he laid on his bed, covers off, willing the pain away, or at least hoping for sleep to come, but it sure felt like forever. 

He was drenched in sweat and incoherent.

"Gary? Are you alright?" He could barely hear AVA's voice. His head was foggy.

"A....vocato." He gasped and passed out.

"You're so stubborn Gary."

~

"Hah! Full house!" Little Cato laid his hand down proudly and smirked at Avocato's three of a kind. "Man, you think after playing with Gary so much you'd have a knack for this." 

Avocato rolled his eyes and leaned his elbow on the table. "I do, you don't play 9 straight hours with someone without learning about a few tricks." He then leaned back in his chair and smirked at Little Cato. "I just didn't want to push you too hard." 

Little Cato laughed. "Want to play again?" 

It's been an hour since they started playing and there still hasn't been a sign of Gary. 

"Maybe later son, I still need to talk to Gary." He began to stand. Little Cato quickly stood up with him. 

"Wait!" 

Avocato stopped and stared at Little Cato. Little Cato's eyes darted between Avocato and the floor. 

"Is everything alright Little Cato?" Avocato eyed the boy. Little Cato twitched and sighed. 

Little Cato looked down and away. His ears flattened against his head, he's not very good at lying. "I just want to play another round."

Avocato crossed his arms. If he wasn't worried before, he's worried now. "Little Cato." 

Little Cato flinched. Avocato had spoke in his 'dad voice'. "Ye-Yeah Dad?" 

"What's wrong with Gary?" Avocato was not in the mood anymore. No one had spoken to Gary, no one could find Gary, and Little Cato was trying to hide Gary from him.

"N-Nothings wrong!"

"Don't lie to me. If nothing was wrong he'd be bugging us to play cards right about now." Avocato placed a gentle hand on Little Cato's shoulder. "Please? Tell me what's wrong."

"Fine!" He threw his arms up and then crossed them. "Gary's hiding from everyone."

Avocato narrowed his eyes and tilted his head. "Why? Is he okay?"

Little Cato shrugged and scratched the back of his head. "He said he was. He just," he groaned, "I don't know. Something happened with his arm while we were working on stuff and he said he wanted to be alone."

Avocato sighed and patted Little Cato's head, he bent down to his height. "Do you know where he is?" 

"He said he'd be in his room." 

Avocato stood. 

"He's not. At least, he wasn't last time I checked." Avocato sighed and moved around Little Cato. 

"Avocato, you are looking for Gary?" AVA called out to him over the speakers. 

"You know where he is?" He doesn't know why he didn't think to ask AVA sooner. 

"He's in the medbay. Please hurry, something is wrong." The desperation in her voice sent Avocato running towards the medbay with Little Cato close behind. 

His mind was racing as he burst into the medbay. It was completely dark, not that the dark was a problem for him. He saw Gary lying on a bed in the back of the room. He was curled into a ball and his form was shaking. 

The Ventrexian rushed to his side. "Gary?" He called out in a small, gentle voice. 

The form didn't move. 

"Little Cato turn on the lights." Little Cato flicked the lights on and the room brightened. 

Gary was in a tank top curled away from Avocato. His hair stuck to his forehead and he was drenched in sweat. Avocato sighed and moved a hand to Gary's head. Gary leaned into the soft touch. 

"Gary, can you hear me?" 

Gary didn't answer. 

~

Gary flinched at the bright light and covered his eyes with his forearm.

"Morning Sunshine." He peaked past his arm to see Avocato sitting on a stool next to him. 

"Turn off the lights." 

"No." Avocato had a small smirk on his face. 

Gary sighed. "I can't see." 

"That sucks." 

Gary rolled over to face the smiling Ventrexian. 

"How do you feel?" His voice had a slight strain to it.

"Well I can move, so that's good."

"The drugs are working then." Avocato took a sip from his coffee cup. "Do you want something to drink?" 

Gary nodded and Avocato stood. He filled a glass of water from the sink and moved to Gary's side. Gary reached out and Avocato pulled the cup back. "What the crap man."

"Sit up." Gary moved reluctantly to a somewhat upright position. Avocato grasped his chin and tilted his head back. Gary's face flushed at the small smile Avocato adorned. 

"Uh, what's uh, what's going on?" 

Avocato brought the cup close to his lips and Gary took a drink. He didn't realize how parched he was until he finally had a glass of water. 

Avocato pulled back and Gary wiped the corner of his mouth. "Thanks bud."

"Since you're feeling better," Avocato set the cup down and his expression changed from gentle to pissed. "What the fuck Gary? Why the hell didn't you say anything about what happened?" 

Gary flinched and shrugged. "I didn't-"

"What did happen Gary? Why the hell was your arm like that? It took Little Cato and I 4 hours to make repairs on the arm and then I had to reinstall it." Avocato's ears flatted and his tail whipped behind him. "You almost lost the damn thing. You're lucky your nerves weren't fried."

"I'm sorry."

Avocato held his glare for a moment before sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose. "You can trust me Gary, why didn't you tell me?"

Gary shrugged again. "It's not a trust thing. I do trust you, more than anything. I guess I just didn't want to bother anyone. I don't know Avocato, I didn't want to tell anyone. It was hard enough AVA and Little Cato knew." Gary looked down at his left arm. He flexed his metal fingers and sighed. "I'm sorry."

Avocato moved closer and rested his forehead against Gary's. He closed his eyes and nuzzled him slightly. Gary wasn't sure what to say, so he just leaned into the warmth Avocato was radiating. 

"Tell me next time, Little Cato was worried sick." 

"Crap, where is he?" 

"I put him to bed. He refused to leave your side."

Gary ran his hands over his face. "I need to talk to him. I don't want him feeling guilty for me being stupid." 

Avocato smirked. "At least you know you were being stupid." 

Gary stuck his tongue out at Avocato and he laughed. Gary looked up. "AVA, can you wake up Little Cato?"

"Of course Gary." She paused. "It's good to see you feeling better."

Gary smiled and looked down. It was only a few moments before they could hear tiny feet slamming against the floor. Little Cato skidded into the room in his pajamas and wild fur. 

"Gary! You're awake!" Little Cato beamed and moved to his side. 

Gary pulled him into a hug and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry Little Cato. I shouldn't have asked you to keep my injury from everyone." 

Little Cato nodded. "It's okay." Little Cato paused and moved back. "I get it, you know?" He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. Avocato placed a hand on his son's shoulder and smiled at Gary. 

"So, let's start from the beginning. What happened?"

Gary smiled. "Well, I certainly fought bravely for Little Cato and I's safet-"

"He stuck basically his whole body in a vent while messing with wires. Something happened to the ship and it tilted. Gary then proceeded to yank on said wires." 

Avocato turned and glared at Gary. "Why am I not surprised."

"Because you know me so well~" Gary gave his best puppy dog look with an innocent smile on his face.

"How are you not dead?" 

"I'm not entirely sure on that. I'll get back to you." Gary shrugged. "How did I get an infection from getting shocked?" 

"The arm was malfunctioning due to the shock. The parts connected to your nerves was sending bouts of pain with every jolt of electricity. That's what I'm guessing at least."

Gary nodded and sighed. "Same time next week Little Cato?"

Little Cato laughed and patted Gary's arm. "Let's not do this again." 

"I'll try."


End file.
